


Boys Wanna Be Her

by agent_orange



Category: Generation Kill
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Cancer, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Death, Gen, Origin Story, Wartime, Women in the Military
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-23
Updated: 2014-07-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 01:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2005731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agent_orange/pseuds/agent_orange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's there to subdue the enemy, make the country safer while she's serving her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boys Wanna Be Her

**Author's Note:**

> During my second or third rewatch of the series, I got to thinking about Generation Kill and women. If I'm correct, only one ever speaks; while it does make sense, given that Recon is (understandably, as Surviving the Cut has shown me) an all-male and extremely difficult division of the Marine Corps, I couldn't help but wonder: what if women were allowed in Recon? What if women were allowed in combat and Generation Kill was about a group of women invading Iraq?
> 
> And this happened. I know it's completely unrealistic, but my imagination ran off with the idea and I couldn't stop myself. 
> 
> My headcanon for the cast is at the bottom; I didn't want to stifle anyone's ideas of who should be cast.

Contrary to what Bridget thinks, Rae doesn't talk just to hear the sound of her own voice, and she doesn't appreciate being told to shut up, especially when she's in the middle of a brilliant speech about how much Coldplay fucking sucks or the sad state of youth today. There's not much she has control over, though, so she talks. She talks because she's running on Ripped Fuel and peanut butter and no sleep; because their fucking command fucked up again; because they just finished getting shot at by Hajjis and morale is seriously down. She talks to cheer up Willa, who's been all fucking moody and shit since she shot those dudes at the roadblock.

If she ends up with more than a few bruises from Bridget, so be it. They get out alive.

*

The day Bridget turns eighteen, she joins the Marines.

Her mother protests vehemently, but it's been a long time coming. Bridget's parents sent her to military school at fourteen after they got fed up with her hacking into the government web base, mouthing off to her teachers, and taking apart her brother's motorcycle to make improvements on it. At fifteen, she decided she wanted to be a Marine—"The Few, The Proud; Semper Fidelis," and she's always tried to be the best.

She passes her fitness test with flying colors; the day after, she goes to the safest-looking tattoo parlor she can find and gets a wash of colored ink on her back, the hot, buzzing pain just one more obstacle to barrel through.

*

Back home, it's too quiet. Willa's parents treat her like glass; her friends don't know what to say to her—she used to be so bubbly, but now it's hard to be, after seeing what she saw. Doing what she did. Her boyfriend dumps her, and she ends up renting a cheap apartment with a shitty view.

At the supermarket, she has one of those embarrassing post-tour moments she swore she'd never have: she panics in the pasta aisle, unable to choose between spaghetti and linguine after being stuck with whatever MRE she got, whether she liked it or not, and goes home empty-handed. She orders a pizza instead, and calls Person, who'll have something funny and possibly insulting to say.

*

Jamie was always the girl her classmates called weird, the one who knew how to make a pipe bomb and went to the shooting range on weekends. In high school, people started calling her a dyke because she had short hair and wore combat boots, but she's not. That's gross. She just likes the way blood looks when it's spilling over skin, the distinct sound of a bullet hitting the target, the way a knee explodes when shot.

She wonders what it'd feel like to actually take one. It's not like she'd let herself get hit by some Hajji with an AK on purpose, and she wouldn't want to get cas-evac'd and miss all the action, but she wonders.

*

Hustler was a far cry from Eva's dream job as a New York Times columnist, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? It wasn't easy being the only chick around a bunch of horny, socially-awkward guys. They'd make jokes about her and paste her head onto the cover of mock-ups sometimes.

It's easier at Rolling Stone, though she still feels like she has to work harder, like she has to prove that she belongs there. Getting the kind of assignments she wants takes years, and despite her protests, she still gets sent to embed with a bunch of Marines. Spending at least a month with hardcore patriotic men who probably hate liberals and lesbians and good music is totally her idea of a plum job.

*

Trombley shoots a kid, and the only thing Antonia can think about is her own daughter, what she'd do if somebody shot her. Even the fucking Iceman wouldn't be able to find that bastard. She doesn't let Isabelle enter her head when she's shooting or being shot at, or in a TL meeting, but when they have downtime, she thinks about her kid. She knows Gino's a good dad, but a girl needs her mom, and she needs to see kids happy and laughing, not bleeding out 'cuz some trigger-happy psycho teenager shot them instead of a dangerous Hajji.

She wonders sometimes if her daughter really knows who she is. She knows Isabelle doesn't know what her mother actually does—too hard to explain, too much for a kid to understand; Antonia will tell her when she's older, maybe. If Isabella doesn't resent her for being gone so much. For missing her childhood.

*

Making her movie is a way to pass the time, sort of like sitting around waiting to get shot at passes the time. If she's filming, she's not thinking about dying or the hunger pains she sometimes gets, and Gunny says it's good for morale, so Jay does her part.

When she was younger, she wanted to be a director, but at fourteen, her dad told her she was joining the Corps (as soon as she was old enough) before going to college. Her grandpa had been a Marine, wounded in the line of duty, and since Jay doesn't have any siblings, it's up to her to keep the tradition going, apparently.

She likes what she does, mostly. Serving her country, keeping it safe—it's honorable. In a few years, she'll be done, and able to do what she wants; in ten, she hopes to show at the Sundance Film Festival. For now, though, she'll keep practicing with a shitty, sand-filled video camera.

*

It's more dangerous being the victor's gunner—she's an easier target—but Gabby doesn't give a shit. When she's up there, it's almost like being on top of the world. Her grandma had gotten all hung up on the shooting people part, but that's not how Gabby sees it. She's there to subdue the enemy, make the country safer while she's serving her own. Being part of the elite is a chance to get out of the ghetto and make something of herself, and Gabby's sure as fuck not going to waste it.

*

Robin's not like the others; when the girls talk about what they miss from home, it's never the same as what she does: fresh fruits and vegetables instead of fast food; yoga instead of ESPN; meditation instead of dick. It's not that she doesn't want sex, (God, she does, and she misses Shiloh, too) but she can channel that energy elsewhere, like into running or getting the perfect shot.

She manages to meditate even with the gunfire and the platoon's incessant talking, which she considers an accomplishment. Robin wishes she had more time to center herself, to prepare for the day before starting it, but she doesn't, and it's hardly the worst thing she has to deal with, so she does.

*

With Robin, it's like Pappy's a whole 'nother person. It's like they're two halves of a whole. Pappy never thought she'd be able to work so in sync with someone else—she's kind of a lone wolf—but then Robin comes along with her calm energy and pure focus and something just clicks. They become fast friends, and they work well as a team. It becomes especially clear when Pappy sets up for a shot, Robin's hands there to guide her, that this is someone Pappy can really count on, can really trust.

*

"Thanks, Mic. You're a fucking nag," the LT says, and ain't that the truth. Someone's got to watch out for these kids, and command sure as hell isn't doing that. Michaela's got a family that she wants to get home to, but that can't happen if the whole platoon gets shot up. That's what she cares about: getting the girls home safe, not moving up in the ranks. For her, recon isn't something she only does in combat; no, she does a damn good recon job on her platoon. She knows them: knows how far Person can push Colbert before Colbert's threats change from half-hearted to serious; knows when one or a couple of her girls need alone time (sometimes alone together time); and when the LT starts to get bogged down with all the shit going on.

She tries to stay impartial about her COs, mostly so the girls will, but it's hard. Fick's the first superior she really respects, and she sort of feels like it's her job to make sure her LT, the only sane person in this whole clusterfuck, stays alive. The Corps hasn't managed to beat the idealism out of her yet, but it will, if she sticks around to let it happen. Nat's one of the good ones, and as much as Michaela wants her around, she sometimes considers telling the LT to leave when she can. She doesn't, though, but only because it'd be inappropriate.

*

At Dartmouth, nobody really cared who Nat was attracted to; it wasn't as 'pussy liberal' as her platoon thinks, but almost. She'd had a boyfriend, a couple relationships with girls that fizzled out before things got serious—she wasn't there to date.

She knew joining the Marine Corps would be the hardest thing she'd ever done, but she didn't expect all the dyke jokes. Nat's sort of glad she doesn't look like Robin, who's gorgeous—everyone says so—but she could be the lesbian poster child. Mostly, Nat keeps her head down, and tries to act like she's not bothered by what her girls say.

It takes her longer than it should to realize what exactly she's feeling towards Bridget; while she's eating stale pound cake, it dawns on her that she's falling for her TL. It's something that could cost Nat her job (and possibly hurt her in the future) and her platoon's respect. Still, though, when she has a few minutes to herself, she can't help but think about Bridget: her guarded expression; her strong, capable hands; her long, tan body. She knows it's wrong, but she can't help it.

*

Eliza's not really sure how she ends up where she is. She got recommended for Recon young, and made it through BRC and SERE, but command—'cept Fick—might end up killing her. The Marines didn't train her to do any of the crazy, backwards shit she's told to now. Riding around in the back of a Humvee waiting to get shot at is a waste of her training and talent. Q-Tip just feels bad for Colbert and Wynn; they're career military, and she'll be out in a few years.

Christeson's good, too, all wide-eyed and eager and shit, soaking up everything she learns like a fucking sponge. She could be a lifer, Stafford guesses, if she stays on the right track. It can't be easy to be the lowest-ranking member of their platoon, but Christeson bears it, does her best to deal with the messed-up orders they get.

When Q-Tip gets shot (and it ain't even that bad, really), Christeson gets more freaked than she should, and it's easy to parlay that worry into getting things from her: an MRE trade, peanut butter for jalapeño and cheese; a little extra sleep. She doesn't realize that it goes too far until a few nights later, when she's in the back of the Humvee with Christeson getting her off (the LT's on watch; Wynn's asleep), but that's not why she's fucked. No, the kicker is that she thinks it could be more than just a combat jack—wants it to be.

*

Jenna's always loved to write—she'd wanted to go to school for it (NYU, maybe, or Sarah Lawrence), but it didn't happen. That shit's expensive, and her dad made just enough not to qualify for financial aid but not enough to pay.

She enlists instead, turning down the chance to go to Annapolis and be an officer. If she's going to be working her ass off, she'd rather be serving her country instead of doing paperwork. Somehow, she ends up in Recon while still a Pfc.; Colbert pulled some strings, probably, because that doesn't just happen to low-ranking Marines, and especially not to low-ranking female Marines.

Stafford teachers her almost as much as the LT and Gunny do, makes sure she's learning how to do everything the right way. Jenna watches when Q-Tip sketches out Iraqi hamlets on crinkled paper, pointing out details to include and how do to the dimensions right. Jenna can't draw for shit, but maybe she can learn.

It's definitely better than the Naval Academy.

*

Maybe Theresa can't make Trombley any less psycho or Ray any less of an obnoxious hick, but she can do her job well, unlike most of command. She doesn't give a fuck if they're out of their league and she's not; Marines are trained to adapt. For whatever reason, only one of her superiors can. It pisses her the fuck off: her platoon can deal with doing the opposite of what they were trained to and they get stuck with backwards fucking idiots.

What she can do is her job. She does her best to make sure the targets she hits are legit, and she shoots to kill. She can give crying babies at roadblocks water and pills, but it kills her than she can't do more.

*

Stevie's had to screw over more than a few people to get where she is today. It's not like she feels good about it, though she tries not to feel anything, because it just gets in the way of decision-making. After chemo and surgery, when she's in better shape, she gets back to work as soon as possible. (Her position is probably the most ceremonial in the whole Corps, but she's still working, which is what counts.)

Getting deployed is a shock, but she's a good Marine, so she does what she's told. She's not trained to actually lead a battalion into combat, but her battalion isn't trained to drive around in Humvees with their asses out. She does what she has to do, though, and so do her girls. That's the way things work.

**Author's Note:**

> Ellen Page as Rachel "Rae" Person  
> Adrianne Palicki as Bridget Colbert  
> Dianna Agron as Willa Hasser  
> Evan Rachel Wood as Hannah "Jamie" Trombley  
> Jennifer Connelly as Eva "Reporter" Wright  
> Catalina Sandino Moreno as Antonia "Poke" Espera  
> Anna Kendrick as Jay Lilley  
> Rosario Dawson as Gabrielle Garza  
> Jordana Brewster as Robin Reyes  
> Erika Christensen as Laura "Pappy" Patrick  
> Melissa George as Michaela Wynn  
> Rachel McAdams as Natalie Fick  
> Lizzy Caplan as Eliza "Q-Tip" Stafford  
> Michelle Trachtenberg as Jenna Christeson  
> Alicia Witt as Theresa "Doc" Bryan  
> Jane Lynch as Stevie "Godmother" Ferrando


End file.
